At the stern height of the Himalaya, between historic passes and spectacular peaks, lies the great Himalayan desert. Extending from Mustang in Nepal, it includes the Indian districts of Ladakh, Lahul, Spiti and Knnaur. This vast area of brown hills, barren, dry and dusty, is covered in snow and sand.

This also one of the harshest regions of the world. Temperatures dip below – 50 degree centigrade, icy winds howl through the valleys causing rock and icefalls, illusory sounds draw the unwary to death and water is dearer than life.

But braving these adversities are the people of this desert who preserve and enrich an ancient culture. At the crossroads of various civilizations, they are a happy mixture of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese as well as Islamic and Buddhist cultures.

This book studies, most sensitively, the physical, cultural and social life in the Himalayan desert, through eloquent prose and breathtaking pictures.

Nina Rao heads the Department of tourism at the college of Vocational Studies, University of Delhi. Her association with the Himalayan desert began on a visit to Leh in 1982 and grew in 1988 when she was appointed Consultant for the Leh Development Plan by the Jammu and Kashmir government. Nina is also actively involved in non-governmental work on tourism. She is interested in the independent kingdoms along the ancient silk route in the Central Asian region and the links between Indian and Tibetan Buddhism.